07.28.07
Nude Pepero
(BTW: For you Junkies who don’t back check, there is a post dated JSFR for this past Saturday. I’m not sure the RSS will pick it up or not if I post date but there you go.)
The last time we met Pepero it looked a lot like this and was almond and choco flavored. The very first time we met Pepero it was quite a lot like the original Pocky but with a more Korean bend. A couple weeks ago, TheMan, Scott H. and I were browsing the J(K)SF selection at the Most Korean of Asian Grocery stores and we happened to pick up a third flavor or Pepero: Nude.
Now, I’m all for branching out with the flavors (and heaven knows Pocky is all over that boat…would it surprise you to know that along with the Pepero we picked up yet another flavor of Pocky?) but this…inside out “Pocky” is crossing some line here. Really, is it still Pepero if the goo is on the inside and the stick is more of a tube? We’ve had that before with Gookie (which was more of a cookie and less of a Pocky stick) and also the more closely related Toppo. Oh say, I hadn’t noticed this until now but Lotte makes Toppo too. That’s kinda odd…why is Nude Pepero a Pepero and not a Toppo?
Well, for whatever reason, Nude Pepero is a Pepero despite it looking nothing like the other two Peperos and exactly like Toppo (sans the pooch and anthropomorphic stick). In fact, I’d even go so far as to direct you to the Toppo link (again) and say “What I said last time” since there isn’t a whole lot of difference. The most notable variances between Toppo and Nude Pepero are Nude Pepero’s quasi pretzel tube, which is a titch more salty. Toppo had a serious bland going but just this little hint of salt makes all the difference. Yum. Also Nude Pepero’s inner goo is different as well, tending more toward a decently tasty milk chocolate rather than the typical quasi dark chocolate of the Toppo. Lastly, the packaging. Toppo gets beaucoup points for fun while Nude Pepero’s box is simple and concise. I’m not going to take away pea points for that because the packaging does what it sets out to do, but there is very little notable amusement hence no amusement peas.
I gave Toppo a 3.5 pea taste rating plus 0.5 peas for amusement and Nude Pepero, while less stylishly packed, is tastier. I don’t see why that can’t get Nude Pepero a full
4 wasabi pea rating of out of a possible 5 wasabi peas.
